Reference no: EM133089374

Prior to the commencement of this course, I would have described myself as an uninformed, but moderately involved, health policy advocate. While I did not understand health policy, where it comes from, or the intricacies of its creation, I was at least able to find a way to get involved.

When the COVID-10 Pandemic abruptly arrived in Colorado, I was working in the Senior Care industry, which was extremely tightly regulated compared to other industries. In the midst of this, I utilized my organization to make political connections. My company, Juniper Communities, had a good relationship with a Colorado Senator who was passionate about senior care. I contacted him and set up a call with my leadership. My leadership and I then proceeded to set up a call with the Governor's office of Colorado to petition for Tort Reform during COVID-19. While I was unfamiliar with the policy, I at least knew how to get involved.

Ironically, now that I have completed this course and feel substantially more informed on Health Policy, I would now classify myself as the contrary; I am well-informed, but not involved. My short-term goal is to establish awareness of how to get involved, should I need to be. I am fortunate to say that I am not so negatively impacted by Health Policy that I feel compelled to take action. Should that need arise, however, I want to be prepared to quickly take action as an advocate. I have no plans to become involved with health policy advocacy, but that is not to say I do not appreciate a general awareness of my place in the helathcare system and how it works.
My short-term goals include gaining fluency with establishing an agenda and identifying the channels to communicate it, should the need arise. I seek to become prepared to quickly formulate a meaningful message and know to whom exactly to present it, whether that is directly to a lawmaker or perhaps an organization or interest group that can speak more prominently. I would also like to explore my current organization's, Cardinal Health, political advocacy, and explore if there are meaningful ways that I can get involved as an employee. In doing so, I would likely be able to create more meaningful impact by leveraging the strength and resources of my organization, a predominant medical supply company. sIn sum, my short-term goal is to learn my exact place within the system of Health Policy.

In the long-term I would like to gain a regular familiarity with the Health Policy landscape to include not only existing policies, but also policies that are on the discussion table. I would use this familiarity to provide commentary to relevant key players such as advisory committees and implementing agencies. I could make these independently or with the support of my organization. I would like to be well-enough informed that I can monitor policies during their implementation to be cognizant of their unintended consequences and know precisely to whom and how I can vocalize the need for change.

Should I choose to engage in health policy reform, I would start at the local and state level. After all, as Longest (2016) states, effective policy influencing is a matter of "where and when to focus the efforts." Personally, I do not believe my efforts would be well spent attempting to influence policy change at the national level but instead would like to focus on my immediate surroundings.

If I were to get involved with health policy advocacy in Ohio, I think marijuana reform would be a good place to start. Though the substance is still Federally forbidden, but Ohio legislators are continuing in their exploration of legalization which would greatly impact the pharmaceutical industry; as such marijuana is very much relevant to health policy. A pair of Republican lawmakers have introduced the Ohio Adult Use Act, which would legalize marijuana for adult usage. There is bipartisan support of the concept of legalization, as a pair of Democratic lawmakers have introduced a similar bill. Despite the support, Governor DeWine is expected to present obstacles to legalization. (Jaeger, 2021).

A feasible approach to advocating for this passage would be to further research the bill and identify the sponsors and co-sponsors. Individuals and organizations can and should petition their elected officials to vocalize their support and urge them to sponsor the Bill. One would be wise to also solicit support and mobilization from meaningful organizations, such as Disabled Veterans and PTSD-awareness groups, who would benefit from marijuana legalization and would arguably carry a stronger voice than an individual.
I would also voice continued support for opioid overdose prevention programs in Ohio. Ohio has one of the highest rates of opioid overdose in the United States.  The first overdose program was established back in 2012. Though Ohio has made progress in fighting the opioid pandemic, there still exists a stigma of opioids and also the high costs of naloxone that prevent further progress. I can contact my local representatives, or even some who are not actively involved in addressing the opioid pandemic, to gather their perspective on relevant legislative proposals. I am content with the progress made in the opioid pandemic in Ohio. Though it is not perfect, I do not fight it desperate enough to advocate politically. (Winstanley et al, 2016).

I do not plan to actively pursue influencing health policy on a local or national level currently. However, should the need arise that I must get involved, I appreciate having the familiarity of how a policy is conceptualized, formulated, implemented, and modified. Having this knowledge of my place in the system will be useful, should the day ever come where I feel so compelled to influence policy. For example, if my locality loses its access to clean drinking water, I will be able to quickly identify which groups to affiliate with, which lawmakers to target, and how to present them with a meaningful agenda to increase my chances of affecting heath policy.

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